Generally speaking, writers write stories for people to read them. And while I belive firmly that you should write what you like, it’s never a bad idea to keep your reader in mind.

While the specific things they like to read will vary genre to genre, there are 10 universal aspects we want to create in our fiction, to give readers that can’t-put-it-down book experience.

1) Escape

Every reader picks up a fiction book for one thing: escape. Escape from their problems, escape from their day-to-day life, escape from the mundanity of human existence…. Whatever it is, they’re looking to escape.

Stepping into a fictional world with fictional problems–whether it’s the problem of finding love in a contemporary setting, or the problem of saving the world in a fantasy setting–lets a reader forget about whatever happened that day and relax.

Even if your book isn’t ‘relaxing’. 

As the writer, remember that when we pen a book and ask other people to read it, what we’re really doing is promising them this escape.

And the best way to do it is to write really excellent fiction that contains an exciting, well constructed story, and keeps the tension high, so readers stay invested in your book and not, you know, their ordinary lives.

2) Comfort

The one aspect of creating excitement and escape that writers often forget about is comfort.

Think about getting on a roller coaster (or similar thrill ride for those of you non-adrenaline junkies). When you get on a roller coaster, you know you’re going to go fast, you’re going to get tossed around a little bit, you might even get flipped upside down. You’re going to scream your face off the entire time. And you know you’re going to come safely out the other side.

That’s what makes it fun.

A good book needs to do the exact same thing.

We need to take that reader on a screaming adventure, and give them the comfort that they’re going to come out the other side.

As writers, we build comfort into our books by using common conventions of storytelling: a recognizable story structure, good grammar, and familiar voices.

>> Want to learn more about story structure? Check out this podcast episode..

This does not mean we want our books to be same as every other book (we still need Wonder after all). But it does mean we can use certain cues to let the reader know we understand story, and we are capable of getting them safely out the other side.

(The same as I wouldn’t get on a roller coaster without a safety harness, I wouldn’t read a book that didn’t deliver me good grammar and an inciting incident somewhere in the first three chapters, for example.)

To write a great book, know the pieces of story structure and how the events of your story fit into it, study character voice and know how to show not tell, and get a proofreader!

>> Learn more about my signature novel-writing program Write Now for an indepth walkthrough of story structure and one-on-one support to make the most of your story.

3) Wonder

Comfort is a great thing to have, but it’s not the part that readers remember about a story. (No one goes around saying, that book just had such good story structure, I felt really comfortable!) Readers remember the Wonder.

Wonder is the parts of your story that they can’t get anywhere else. It’s the unique magic system or the totally authentic character. It’s the rip roaring adventure that couldn’t happen any other way.

Wonder is all about something new, something different. Something that seems impossible (like finding true love or surviving certain death) becomes possible.

For me, it’s also about creating a sense of inspiration, of hope, of leaving the reader with an awe-struck feeling.

How does this happen in your story?

>> Join me in the Story Coaching Facebook group and let me know how you are adding wonder!

4) Relatability

While we’re busy creating Wonder, we can’t forget to make our story relatable. After all, a feeling of hope in a story is only so good if we can’t feel it for ourselves.

Part of storytelling is sharing information and ideas. After all, that’s what set humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom and has allowed us to build our civilization to what it is today. Sharing information in a way that seems useful and relatable to the person you’re sharing it with.

For a book to be relatable, a reader must be able to see themselves in the story.

(Yes, while still being an escape.)

Your reader might not be fighting for their life or trying to solve a crime or overthrowing a nasty government–that’s the escape part. But the characters needs to be relatable, meaning they are experiencing common, normal, human internal conflicts of emotion.

We all understand the struggle of looking after our family and balancing work demands. Your characters do too, but their situation looks a little different.

How are the characters and what they are experiencing relatable to your reader?

> Join the discussion over in the Story Coaching Facebook group.

5) Feeling

Superficially, it’s the story that readers are interested in. But that’s not what really keeps them coming back or reading until 3am. To do that, a book needs to build strong emotions in the reader.

Part of this is relatability–they need to see themselves in the story, and see the characters as ‘friends’.

The other part is sharing characters’ emotions and creating those feelings in the reader. Specifically, we want to have a constantly underlying sense of tension and of hope.

The best way to do this is with your character. What the character experiences, the reader experiences. We show emotion through their thoughts, actions, and reactions.

>> Want to learn how to better share the feeling of your characters in a scene? Join the Story Coaching Facebook group, and take the 5 Days to Spellbinding Scenes free 5-Day challenge and training that you can find in the Guides section.

6) Respect

While we’re working hard to make sure the reader understands what’s going on while we tell the story, we can forget something very simple: Readers are very adept at figuring things out.

We need to show respect for our readers. This doesn’t mean that I think you don’t respect them now. What it means is to remember readers are smart.

We don’t need to spell out every little detail. In fact, when we do so, readers tend to get annoyed. And fair enough, we’re not telling stories to children (and if you are, you’re still telling stories to children who are quick witted and don’t like being treated like children.)

Sometiems I think of reading as figuring out a puzzle. It’s more fun if you’re given a few pieces of information and then have to engage your brain to fill in the blanks.

This is what we want to do for our readers.

The takeaway here is: You don’t need ot share everything. Just the details that are absolutely necessary. Let readers fill in the blanks, and trust them to be able to do so.

7) Sincerity

There’s a concept that sounds a little bit out there, but I want you to take to heart: the way you feel as your write comes through on the page.

Readers can sense when you care about a character and a story versus when they are a throw away for you (hopefully, you don’t even know what I’m talking about when I say a throw away… basically something you don’t really care about, you’re just putting them on the page because you think you should).

At the end of the day, write what you like, and like what you write.

I truly believe it comes through in your approach to the story, your tone, and the overall quality that comes through.

> There is another side to sincerity, which is that every writer needs to learn how to share what’s in their head on the paper in a captivating way. Things like pacing, sentence structure, where to leave chapter breaks, etc. all have a role to play. Check out some of these articles: Feel in writing. 24 Easy Ways to Bring Your Scenes To LifeNailing Conflict and Stakes

8) Vindication

Vindication is the feeling that someone’s opinion, action, or belief was justified. It’s a fancy way to say readers like being right.

But not too right….

As a reader, you’re always guessing what’s going to happen next and how the story is going to end. We leave clues for our readers using elements and plot devices they see commonly.

For example, if our hero encounters a mysterious forbidden doorway in act one, the reader knows they are going to go through it by act three and discover some super interesting stuff that will help wrap up the story.

Readers like knowing this. It gives them a sense of anticipation.

What readers really don’t like: being wrong.

They don’t know what’s on the other side of the door, but they know your hero will go through and it’s going to be crazy!

Imagine if you read a book where all this fuss was made about the door, and then no one ever goes through it! It would be disappointing to say the least.

Whenever you foreshadow something, make sure you follow through, because your reader is definitely watching.

9) Inventiveness

There are millions of books in the world today. Readers can read any story they want about anything they want. They want something orginal and unique. Something they can’t get anywhere else.

So while the story needs a sense of wonder, your author voice (the way you tell the story) needs inventiveness too.

You want to use words and ideas in a quick and original ways to create the feel you want from your story.

This is also part of showing and not telling. We never tell what the emotion is, but we show it through bodily reactions and actions. Instead of having something sigh and pinch the bridge of their nose every time they get frustrated, switch it up. Have them pound the wall, or collapse into a chair.

Better yet, have them wish a 9-foot ‘gator from the bayou where they grew up rips out somebody’s craw and feeds it a beaver.

Get inventive about how you share things, and your story will snag readers’ attention and give them something they really can’t get anywhere else!

>> A big part of inventiveness comes from knowing your characters extremely well. Know their experiences so you know how they see the world and through which lens they interpret what they see. (ie, someone from Louisiana might measure things against an alligator, but someone from Michigan is more likely to measure snow drifts.) Learnmore about Character Development here My Step by Step Process for Creating Unforgettable Characters or download the free Story Planning Guide to get started exploring your characters on a deep level.

10) Triumph

Readers crave some kind of happily ever after. Even for the tragedy fans, there is desire for hope. We like our silver linings.

Particularly when things don’t end the way our character wanted, time will go on. It is part of living on this planet: time always marches forward, and there is always the possibility for wonder.

Think of the ending of book 1 in a series. We know the story isn’t over. We know they haven’t beaten the big bad, but we need to provide the reader some hope. That book’s adventure will wrap up, the heroes will regroup, and then fight another day.

Even when we write the ending of a standalone book or the last book in a series, the main character will still get up tomorrow and live their life. Even when their world has been torn apart and the ending is bittersweet, they still get up tomorrow. They have a future where they can make choices and take actions, a future filled with possibility.

Leave your readers with a sense of hope to hold onto, a reminder that the sun always rises.

>> No matter your genre, this always goes back to your Theme. Learn more about Theme here or here or check out the Story Planning Guide to guide you to finding your story’s theme.

As always,
Happy Writing!
-Charlotte

PS, I’d love to hear from you. How many of these 10 things are you creating for your reader? What simple changes can you make to give your story that extra edge and make it truly un-put-down-able?